Title: Between a Rock and a Hard Place In May of 2003, a Colorado rock climber set out on a day hike through a narrow Utah canyon. Although an experienced climber and outdoorsman, he made two nearly fatal mistakes, the first was to hike alone and the other was to not tell any one where he was going. Shortly into the hike, when the climber was pinned by an 800-pound boulder, he was faced with life or death. During trials we may feel like we are between a rock and a hard place, our difficulties can cause us to feel like we are faced with life or death. Unless we are able to understand God’s compassion and purpose for us during times of discouragement, we may ask God why He let it happen instead of how He wants us to get through it. Dr. David Jeremiah says, “The moment we accept the fact that our ordeal has been permitted, even intended by God our perspective will totally change.” The key to coping is in the acceptance of the circumstances, as in 2 Corinthians 12, we find the Apostle Paul pleading with God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Verse 9 says, “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul accepted the test, turning to God for direction, hope and strength. In adversity, we may be tempted to “hike alone.” God has wired us to be dependent on Him. He wants us to bare our feelings and share our emotions; God can handle even the ugliest part of our pain. In Ruth 1:20, Naomi said, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara because the Almighty has made my life bitter.” In choosing to tell God about the losses in her life, Naomi found relief. Psalm 32:3 reminds us, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away.” If we look to God and thank Him in the midst of our trials instead of being angry, He does a remarkably wonderful thing. He reveals to us the fellowship of His sufferings and an inner strength we have never experienced before because we have chosen to endure our trials His way. We may not want to “tell anyone where we are going” because we are afraid of their reaction. As in the case of Job, his friends asked him what sin he committed to cause his calamity. To top it off, his wife counseled him to, “Curse God and die.” (Job 2:9) As we trust people to be part of the solution, God often strengthens us through His people. When I was enduring a year of chemotherapy treatments for stage four cancer, God gave my family and I amazing gifts through the ministry of His people. Thousands of people prayed for us, made encouraging phone calls, sent emails and cards, prepared meals, did housecleaning and errands, sent flowers, gifts, books and bracelets, all for the purpose of helping us through a very difficult and frightening time. Finding ourselves between a rock and a hard place is usually
not our choice. But when God allows it, He is giving us a gift. He is
testing us to make us more like His Son. “These trials are only
to test your faith to show that it is strong and pure…so if your
faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring
you much praise and glory and honor on the day Christ Jesus is revealed
to the whole world.” I Peter 1:6-7
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